If you were to poll Army fans or ask them to assess the Black Knights' performance Saturday, the proverbial response would probably go something like this.

"I just don't get it!"

Today was supposed to be a good day, a possible great one in fact.

Today was the day that Army was going to get their first win on the road and work their way back to .500 on the season, with a 3-3 record on the season.

Army's opponent was the 0-4 Miami Redhawks. On paper, it appeared that the Black Knights had the edge at quarterback, running backs, linebackers, etc and so on.

Comparatively speaking, Army had the better team hands down.

All the Black Knights had to do was win. On paper it was a done deal, in reality not so much.

Here's the Good News:

Army's offense, for the most part, played a fantastic game. Running the ball is what the offense is known for and Black Knights didn't disappoint there. As a team, Army ended up with 326 total yards on the ground with eight players contributing. The sophomore Raymond Maples, who continues to impress, as he ran for 111 yards which included a 25 yard TD jaunt. Quarterback Trent Steelman also came ready to play, as the junior signal caller ran for 99 yards and 2 touchdowns.

But, where Army usually relies on Steelman's legs to get the job done, it was his arm that impressed today. Steelman threw a perfect game going 8/8 with 124 passing yards and one touchdown.

On the day, the offense hasn't looked better. The Black Knights ran the ball great ... as usual. However, today Steelman proved, at least against Miami, that the air attack can not be overlooked. Clearly, this is a significant upgrade in Coach Ellerson's offense and will greatly benefit the Black Knights in future games to come.

Now comes the part that Army fans have been wanting to avoid

The Bad News:

As you probably already know Army lost a tough one to Miami (OH) 35-28. This defeat couldn't be more disappointing because not only did the Black Knights lose to a team that was 0-4, but they remain winless on the road for 2011.

Its heart breaking to see the squad play so well and come up short in the end, especially against a team they should beat.

At one point in the contest Army actually lead 28-14. Everything seemed to be working out in our favor, But then the second half rolled around and it was all bad news from there. The offense, which overall played a quality game, was shut down by the Miami "D". They completely disabled the perimeter segment of the option.

Add to this fact, where the Army defense really fell short today. Yes, they played hard and not once did it feel like they were giving up, but they couldn't stop the Redhawks' pass attack as they compiled for 342 yards in the air, along with 4 touchdowns.

If you want to win, that just cant happen.

Bottom Line:

Army has six games left. Out of those six, only one will be played at Michie Stadium. Right now, Coach Ellerson and his Black Knights appear to be one road weary team. If this team has any real envision of getting to that bowl game, things need to change fast or its going to be one disappointing season.